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Fremont vs. Kearney on Dec. 14, 2024

Fremont, Kearney Partner on Inaugural Series

By Fremont Ice Association, 01/27/25, 3:30PM CST

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Series will celebrate growth of sport happening outside traditional Lincoln/Omaha markets.

For decades, hockey in Nebraska has revolved around Omaha and Lincoln with junior, college or pro hockey, but over the last 15 years, hockey has now grown into smaller communities through youth programming and new rinks being built. 

The Inaugural OutState Nebraska Junior High School Hockey Championship Series will feature a best-of-three game series played at Fremont’s Sidner Ice Arena between Fremont’s Bantam Silver and Kearney’s Bantam Tri City Jr. Storm. Both teams won their respective divisions at the Midwest Hockey League's Select Finals in Davenport, Iowa, Jan. 26, with Tri City winning the regular season meeting played between the two opponents back on Dec. 14 3-1. They will also see each other once more before the series at the Omaha Stampede.

Besides each other, the teams play others from Omaha and Lincoln (Class A) who have 50-100 players at the Bantam/Jr. High level whereas Kearney and Fremont depending on the year may have between 15-30 total, Buzzell said.

“We play against large city’s “B/C” teams all season in what we call “Midwest Hockey League” games,” said Bantam Silver coach Jason Buzzell. “This features teams from Iowa, Kansas and Nebraska but we don’t really have anything for our younger players to play in for just Nebraska at the Class B level against similar skill and age. This is something we thought would be really fun to have small towns celebrate hockey that is growing outside of the big two cities of Omaha and Lincoln.”

Buzzell noted talks of rinks opening in Norfolk and North Platte, Nebraska as well as how a group of folks from Crofton, Nebraska are playing their hockey in Yankton, South Dakota. This includes graduating senior Zach Weber of Midland University Men’s Team who is from Crofton, Nebraska youth hockey, but played in Yankton, South Dakota.

“When you love hockey you'll do anything you get to practice and games,” Weber said. “For us that meant driving to South Dakota. An event like this helps bring awareness to how many kids like me, are doing anything to play a sport they love.”

Fremont also has players having played from towns like Arlington, Blair, Laurel, Seward and West Point, Nebraska just to name a few.

Recently, Sidner Ice Arena in Fremont, approaching its 20th year in existence, embarked and succeeded on a $1.8 million fundraising effort to fix and create a sustainable rink for 20 more years through its Fund The Rink Campaign.

“We want this to be an absolute weekend celebration of every small-town Nebraska kid that plays somewhere,” Buzzell said. “Even if they commute to somewhere else, seeing these two teams might help someone, somewhere, invest in the game a kid loves in outstate Nebraska.

“We’d love to see every kid with an address outside of Omaha and Lincoln, show up for the weekend and be recognized. Our sponsor has helped support this to make it possible."

The weekend is sponsored by a donor who will donate funds to not only cover the weekend ice and referees, but has committed to contribute to the start of a hockey development fund for a small-town player who is registered at the winning association next season.

The three-game series kicks off Saturday, March 8, at 6 p.m. with game two Sunday, March 9 at 10 a.m. A third and final game (if necessary) will take place at 3:30 p.m. Sunday afternoon.

“We’re inviting the whole state to come to this inaugural event,” Buzzell said. “We will be honoring some past and present players who are from small towns and commuted to Fremont and Kearney, as well as doing some special events leading up to the first game on Saturday.”

If you would like more information on supporting this event financially or by volunteering, please contact Fremont Ice Association at information@fremontflyers.org.

Tri City
Fremont